Clean Milking. TO THE EDITOR.

Otago Witness, Issue 2660, 8 March 1905, Page 32

Clean Milking. TO THE EDITOR.

The following interesting fetter on ih s important subject is from a correspondent v.ho will be remembered as the writer ot an exhaustive series of articles on tuberculosis which appeared in these pages some months ago: — SIXS IK _ The paper on the above subject, lead by me at the recent Dairy Conference in Christehu-eh, came on late m the evenin »• afte- a good Ueal of business had been dotie smd a rather busy day had been spent in Lytfcclton. There was no discussion on it, and the meeting closed almost as soon as I had finished. As the paper was the outcome not only of my own experience in the matter, but also of a couple of months' research into th*> best experimental work on milking clont- during the past few years, I have determined to rewrite it in a more generally interesting form, and in the meantime I should be glad if you would give publicity to two of the main points— one a new method oi keeping dirt out of the milk, and the other a method, as good as new, of increasing the yield of the- milk. Mr Kinsella, m his address, reiterated some of the advice on clean milling tbat he recently gave at the. Cartevton meeting, and the chairman and Mr Tho.nton backed him up, so that mv paper was pretty well "on the spot. To proceed, assuming that the udder has been cleaned before milking, I ask that the milker shall direct his streams of milk upon one spot, one towards the near side of the bucket being preferred, as dirt .falls chiefly on the farther side from the milker. To do this successfully right through milking needs, of course, a good deal of careful practice ; but any attempt to succeed will be enough to show the value of the method and encourage further trials. In the first place it secures the strongest froth. If the cow is milking pretty well, and the bucket weld under the udder, a splendm froth can be obtained before finishing, and this is the thing desired; for, in the second place, it will be noticed that all the dirt falling into the bucket during the mil'kmg will remain on top of the froth unless it is driven under by the streams of. milk. If, therefore, the milker keeps his aim on one spot, the greater part of the dirt will be seen lying in countless specks and bits over the froth when the milking is done, and then can be lightly skimmed off with the forefinger into a refuse vessel, along with a thin, top laye^ of tho froth, and a bucket of clean milk remains. A bucket of clean niilk — "the foundation requirement of successful dairying," as says the great Professor Woll. of Wisconsin, and, as we all may here say, the "6n3 thing needful" to raiEe New Zealand butter to the giddy heights of top prices in the Home market. A clean bucket of milk is a thing not easy to define, but I consider it as one that does pot apparently need straining, having no visible dirt, and -that has had no drips whatever. It is a thing of beauty and of value, and should be its owta reward. Now, pioneers of the new way are wanted ; it is being sent through the colony and the leading dairy papers abroad, and there is every sign that the times sre ripe and ready for all possible improvements in. milking- Tests and criticisms sent to me at Upper Ricca'--ton. Christchurch, will be gladly received, both of the improvement above suggested, and of the second and most valuable addition to milking contained in my conference paper — the after-treatment of the udder, or Hegelund method, so coded from its originator, a Danish agricultural teacher, who has during the past few years created great enthusiasm through Denmark by his explanation and advocacy of the after-treatment of the udder. It is designed to get down all the residual milk, lib to 31b daily, remaining in the ducts of the udder after ordinary milkincr, especially if rather.careless, is done. It is best clone by the dry method of milking, ancf is an argument for that method, and it consists first in raising and pressing inwards the right quarters of the udder, and then the left quarters, a few times each, firmly, but gently, and then stripping; secondly, pressing each quarter a few times with both hands, the very top of each udder being moved, and then strip-" ping again ; and thirdly, giving a quick upward prassure to each quarter", like the no&ing of the calf, a few times, and strip again. The whole operation requires two to two and a-half minutes, and the milk gained is "all gain," and tests, on the average, as found by Professor Woll, of Wisconsin, 10.32 per cent, butter fat. Given oilier things right, it is 1h? finest way kiown of making the cow "hold out" and give her maximum yield of milk. It is considered to keep the udder lealthy, and lo be the best guarantee of a big flow eff milk next year, and finally, it promises to be the best wa/ to get an improved breed of milking cow. I have tried it tvuc& a day.

for two months, and shall not give* it up, though I da not adhere to the e.\act order as above given from Hcgelund's own directions. I find very good results from lifting the whole udder and moving it firmly a few times to the right, then left, then to and fro, ihe movements acting right through the very top of the udder. One is f>pt to think that a Jot of dirt will fall into the bucket during the pressures; but if the clerning before milking; is properly done this is not the ease- What does fall is held on the froth if the streams, as above stated, are fociis?ecl on one spot. When milking ii done, the dirt consists, in the ease of my cwn buc-icet, of a countless number of small Llack specks, with a large number of bits of dirt of rather more visible size, and I ci-nnot help thinking when I son it what a good thing it is that all this dirt, which usually gels mixed nj> in tho milk and sent to the criamerv, can be at once removed by a light skimming < f the froth! I hope it will appeal to readers in the same way. — I am, et<\,

JAS. R. WlI/TCIXSOIf Upper Riccarton, Canterbury, March 2